Examples Of Symbolic Interactionism In The Gangs Of New York Movie

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Gangs of New York takes place in 1863 in New York City. This movie shows how conflict can make or break a whole entire city. It is a story of a vendetta as a family legacy set against the historical background of the ethnic feuds in New York City. The three major perspectives can are shown a considerable in Gangs of New York. The conflict theory is shown between the conflict with all of the gangs and, main characters. The symbolic interactionist theory, can be shown through all of the symbols depicted in the movies, especially those related to “Priest” Vallon. And the functionalist theory can be shown through the uproar of the draft, and how the gangs operate the five points. Conflict is the predominant sociological theory presented in …show more content…

Symbolic interactionism means symbols create meanings. A symbol is a thing that represent or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. The first symbol we encounter is “Priest” Vallon telling Amsterdam to leave the blood on the blade. This could mean many things such as you cannot wash away your sins, the blood is a badge of merit on the blade, and the blood remains on the blade and not on your hands. Making you guilt free. This symbol most likely means that you cannot wash away your sins since there is a religious theme presented in the movie. The club that Walter “Monk” McGinn uses to slaughter people throughout the movie is a symbol as well. Every time he get his club, there is going to be a fight scene with him involved. The marks on Monk’s club show that he is a powerful person and, that he should be intimidating because of the sheer amount of people that he has killed. Later in the film Amsterdam digs up the blade that killed his father, his old razor, and the medallion he gave him. These all bring up strong memories of his father. Especially the medallion and the blade. The medallion remind him of who his father is and what he died for. The blade he saves because, it is the blade that killed his father. When he find the blade this just adds to the fire that is already burning inside of Amsterdam for revenge on The

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